Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup

• Correcting, clarifying or commenting on media reports of family court cases

• Explaining or commenting on published judgments of family court cases

• Highlighting other transparency news

MEDIA (MIS)REPORTS OF FAMILY COURT CASES

BBC News and the Telegraph – We commented on how claims by Families Need Fathers were reported (and the claims themselves) in Are ‘Thousands misusing abuse orders to get legal aid’? (See also Friday’s House of Commons library research briefing, Progress in protecting victims of domestic abuse in the family courts, ahead of a Westminster Hall debate this Wednesday):

 

Transparency positive

BBC News – BBC News and others reported this important public interest story of an unlawful immigration detention of a father, leaving his child unnecessarily in care for months, with an application to place her for adoption, due to be issued, if he was not released.  The BBC were notably accurate in the face of what looks like inaccuracy in the online news item and press release on the father’s behalf, and the written reasons attached to the court order settling the JR proceedings. Blog to follow on just how close this little girl did come to being adopted and whether the technical inaccuracies matter.

BBC News – BBC News amended this report in response to a complaint and added a link to the published judgment:

 

Linker of the week

 

Linkless

The Guardian – Whilst it’s plainly of real value that the Guardian covered the publication of a new APPG report, it’s incredibly frustrating that they provide no link nor even the name of the report. Storing up trouble – a postcode lottery of children’s social care was published at the National Children’s Bureau site. 

 

BBC News – Ditto for the BBC, who reported the multi agency report, Growing up neglected: a multi-agency response to older children without naming or linking to it:

 

NEWLY PUBLISHED CASES FOR EXPLANATION OR COMMENT

O (A Child : Fact Finding Hearing – Parents Refusing to Participate) [2018] – See Parents refusing to participate at Suespicious Minds on this judgment from a legally ordinary family court decision of the highest importance for this family (and families generally):

 

A Child (Secure Accommodation Order) [2018] – Judgment from an ‘ordinary’ Welsh family court decision, published in the public interest of draw [ing] attention to…very significant problems which have arisen,(in this area at least), with the provision of secure accommodation facilities. And in the hope that by the publication of [the] judgment…these difficulties will become known to the administrative authorities, including, if necessary, the Government of Wales and the Central Government in London, and the general public who can see what actually is taking place so far as vulnerable young people in North Wales are concerned. (Transparency workings also helpfully shown at para 18):

 

…And a couple of legally important family court judgments due next week:

Mills v Mills:

 

Williams v London Borough of Hackney – We’ll be updating our s.20 guide accordingly:

 

IN OTHER TRANSPARENCY NEWS

Deprivations of liberty safeguards authorisations – A free guide for families on rights:

 

 

Feature pic: Courtesy of Flickr Lauri Heikkinen via Creative Commons licence – with thanks